Starring: Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy
Directed by: Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 1 hour 53 mins
Universal
Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars
Ah, high school. So many memories. And what better way to relive those fond memories then at a reunion. The kids at East Great Falls High are getting together to celebrate their 13th year (don’t ask) out of high school. And they’ll find that those memories can make you cry as much as laugh.
Pretty much an “American Pie” retrospective, “American Reunion” gives us a look into the lives of the senior class of 1999. All of the familiar faces are there. Jim (Biggs) is married to Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). They have a two year old son and apparently no time for each other. Oz (Chris Klein) is a popular television sportscaster who is even more renowned for his appearance on a “Dancing With the Stars”-like show. Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) has become a world traveler. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is a happily married stay at home husband. And Stifler (Scott)…well, Stifler is Stifler.
Written and directed by the same duo that brought us the “Harold and Kumar” films (which would make sense since Thomas, John Cho and a cameo-ing Neil Patrick Harris appear here), “American Reunion” is like one of those flashback television shows. Except here when someone says, “remember when we” there is no actual flashback. Just a lot of reminiscing. Mostly it’s about love lost. Whether it’s no time for love, not loving the one you’re with or wishing you’re first love had really been forever, love seems to be the story here. Of course there is also sex and beer and the forever-eighteen Stifler to brighten the mood. As played by Scott, Stifler is as obnoxious as ever. But you can’t help but love the guy because, whether he’s getting revenge on a couple of teen age pranksters or setting up the party of the year, you know his heart is in it.
The rest of the cast have obviously become comfortable in their roles and their comradeship is evident on screen. Klein has a few scenes that let him show some range and he handles them well. Biggs has always played hang-dog well and he does it here. Levy, as Jim’s dad, has always been a high point in the “Pie” film series. The best scenes in the film are of Jim and his pop just talking like countless fathers and sons have done in the past. Hannigan is pretty much wasted here, spending a lot of the film “visiting friends.” “American Pie” fans will be happy everyone from the first film makes an appearance, though some of them are in “blink or you’ll miss them” cameos.
The script is full of jokes capitalizing on the fact that life moves pretty fast. When Jim meets Kara, the little girl next door he used to babysit, he is shocked to see that she has grown into a full blown hottie. The fact that she refers to a Spice Girls song on the radio as “classic rock” only shocks him more. Time surely does fly, whether you’re having fun or not.